Two Days of Hikes Around Town
The first day of sightseeing focused on areas southeast of Sedona, and the second (and part of the third) day on points north and west of Sedona. We visited the two popular Native American ruins at the Patakti and Honanki Heritage Sites. The first required a tour reservation, which was fantastically informative. The second (Honanki) was self-guided. While there were more ruins, the Patakti tour took much longer and was more informative. Then we wandered around Crescent Moon Park, which, on the drive to the park, has a couple of nice overlooks, and the park has a nice, easy, scenic trail along Oak Creek.
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Before Driving To Palatki Heritage Site
The Palatki Ruins are located in Red Canyon, which, three million years ago, was composed of shallow ocean inlets and swampy river deltas where sand was deposited.
Palatki Ruins
The cliff dwellings were built by the Sinagua between 1100 and 1275 CE. Archaeologists believe it was one of their largest communities with an estimated 60 to 80 people.
Fire Area With Pictographs
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Palatki Grotto Ceremonial Fire Area
Heat from nearby fires caused soot to adhere to the rock and the animal fat used to make the paint, resulting in their current appearance
Palatki Roasting Pit Fre Area
To the right of the grotto is an alcove with an area outlined with stones, which was used as a pit for roasting agave. Here, the animal pictographs are blackened by soot.
Honanki Ruins-A Room
The Sinagua occupation was probably between 1130 and 1280 CE, based on a tree-ring date of 1271 from a wooden beam in the ruins.
Cathedral Rock
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Thunder Mountain
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Cliffs Around Red Canyon
The canyon's iron-rich sandstone is layered in a sequence of red outcroppings that create the red and orange layers.
Palatki Ruins
The three-story dwelling's walls are made of Supai sandstone. Each of the two rooms likely housed a single family.
Red Canyon Valley
The canyon's wild plants and animals sustained Indigenous peoples. Seeds, berries, and plants, including walnut, agave, yucca, and pinyon pine, were harvested for food and medicine.
Bear Alcove Pictographs
The walls of the ruins contain thousands of pictographs. The various colors were created by mixing minerals with animal fat.
Palatki Petroglyphs/Pictographs
Petroglyphs are symbols scratched or carved into stone. Pictographs are painted on the surface using natural mineral pigments
Honanki Two Story Ruins
Besides the Sinagua, the Honanki site was also used by the Yavapai and Apache Indians over the last 700 years.
Another View of Cathedral Rock
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Distance Shot of Chimney Rock
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Palatki Visitor's Center Exhibits
The visitor's center contains several interesting displays. This image shows a display of minerals, Sinagua artifacts, and plant specimens.
Palatki Ruins Embedded Into Cliff
A midden excavated here revealed relics such as agave pieces, corn cobs, and pottery shards.
Palatki Grotto
One feature of the Grotto is an area that once held water, and it is thought to have been used for ceremonial purposes by the Sinagua.
Entering Roasting Pit Area
Agave plants were trimmed with long flake-stone knives. Fire-roasting the hearts was both a nutritional sustenance and a communal ritual.
Honanki Heritage Ruins
Honanki had more than 60 ground-floor rooms, with another row in front, bringing the total to 72 rooms to house ~200 people.
Honanki Ruins-A Row of Rooms
Honanki ruins represent one of the largest population centers in the Verde Valley and are larger than the Palatki ruins.
Rainy Day View From Crescent Moon
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Walking Along Oak Creek
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